History of The Crusaders

Formation

The Crusaders mercenary unit was created in 3056 by members of the Knights of the Inner
Sphere. Sir Alec de Payens took the first actions in molding the group of Knights into a
mercenary team. De Payens had suffered a mental and emotional breakdown after his wife and
child were killed in a Word of Blake air strike. Seeking a new way of life that ensured he would
forever fight the good fight, he enlisted the aide of his fellow Knights. Several of his closest allies
within the Marik unit resigned immediately to join his private team. Most were already fed up
with the political responsibilities of the Knights. For de Payens' friends, an unseen political
weakness had crippled the Knights with an incurable disease. Within weeks, Sir Alfred Trebuchet,
Sir Rick Ridges, and Sir Frederick de Saint Aldemaar had enlisted into the ranks of the Crusaders
and out of the Knights of the Inner Sphere.

Hiring additional capable warriors proved challenging. The ex-Knights held very high standards
for incoming pilots. However they were able to find worthy pilots and went to work on
obtaining the equipment they needed for their base of operations and the Mechs that would
comprise their fighting force.

Best Foot Forward

Thanks to a wide diversity of backgrounds, the Crusaders immediately benefited from advanced
technologies from across the Inner Sphere. The unit was able to hire ace engineers at premium
costs to customize and adapt Mechs purchased for specialized functions. The unit could also be
hired immediately on high-paying contracts based on their piloting records and extremely unique
Mechs.

With premium contracts already at their table, the Crusaders began enjoying the life of
well-respected mercenaries. They were able to take contracts within the Free Worlds League for
years, regardless of their leaving of the government's elite group of Knights. With an unlimited
list of options and continual cash flow, further customization of their equipment became all the
easier. Financial successes led to the purchase of their own Dropship and the hiring of new crew
members. First rate technical support became commonplace as lucrative salary options became
readily available for most technician positions. The Crusaders became famous, primarily for the
opportunities they offered biased towards engineering experimentation. Tinkerers, both amateur
and professional, were given opportunities to display and present their own designs and custom
weapons configurations. Those with success were hired.

Walking the Path

While the Free Worlds League provided contracts that followed skirmishing along both Davion and
Liao borders, Sir Alec grew weary of small time fights against each neighboring nation. He
believed they posed no true threat to his home and grew spiritually hungry for the kind of
vengeance that had led him to building the team in the first place. His emotions determined for
a large part what contract work the Crusaders unit accepted, forming a contagious spirit that
would eventually spread to the other pilots in the unit.

The commander's hatred of the Blakists soon began taking its toll on the unit. By 3059 Sir Alec
was openly demanding contracts monitoring the League's new guests, a faction within the Word of
Blake group that he believed were directly responsible for all of his personal losses. Publicly
pursuing contracts whose intentions seemed anti-Blakist, Sir Alec caused further worries for most
of the group's warriors. The team's reputation of excellence was being tarnished by its obsession
with such contracts.

It did not take long however for Sir Alec's teammates to bend to his will. They were gradually
convinced of the Blakist's role in his family's deaths, as new evidence showed suspicious activities
taking place on Gibson. The team became one as never before, truly christening the Crusaders in
the original image and mission they were created for.

The Long Arm of the Toyama

Despite successful negotiations and the landing of three Blakist-related jobs, the Crusaders
struggled to keep their heads above water in the political bath that was sweeping the Free Worlds
League. Blakist influence shown everywhere. It seemed obvious that one specific faction within
the Blakist organization was holding most of the cards. Under the command of powerful political
players, the Toyama faction pushed their own goals throughout areas of the League. Even the
Word of Blake's own Precentor William Blane was barely able to curb the Toyama sect's unending
grab for power.

The Crusaders encountered their first Mech warfare against the Blakists during their third
contract in 3063. Hired as 'reinforcements' for Blakist militia units stationed with guard duty at
an HPG station, the League contract's underlying goals consisted of recording the pattern and
timing of Blakist guard changes.

During one such change something strange occured. Rather than retiring from duty and shutting
down for the night, a single Blakist guard Mech retreated to a nearby wooded area when relieved
of its post. Intent on keeping the enemy in his sights, pilot Tom 'Rooster' Brown followed the
25-ton Blakist Nexus into the glen of trees. Officials records stated the Blakist pilot was under
fire from the Crusader Mech, but Tom Brown insisted he had followed regulation procedures
throughout the entire exercise. In less than a month the contract had been cancelled through an
escape clause, ending the Crusaders employment within the League for years to come. Most
members of the Crusaders suspected that the growing political power of the Toyama had reversed
the League against the mercenary unit.

Finding A New Way

Though the radical Blakist Toyama sect had bested him again, this time in the field of politics,
Sir Alec de Payens refused to give up his unit and its goals. He was driven by his past and
supported by his friends, always being pushed into keeping the unit alive. While it was
blacklisted after legal battles within the League, most members believed they could achieve
greatness elsewhere. The Blakists did not control the entire Inner Sphere, and a fight against
them could be made from nearly any border worlds. Using both their contacts within the
Knights of the Inner Sphere and their own financial resources, the group contacted allies in three
of the Successor States. Of these, they believed an acquaintance from the Knights held their best
options. Sir Owen Hardcastle of Strider's Strikers invited the group to enlist for Nova Cat and
Draconis Combine employment in worlds throughout the Irece Prefecture. The unique contract
called for protection against Ghost Bear raids, as well as salvage rights to any Clan technology
recovered. Hiring additonal Dropship crew and making plans to expand their unit to a reinforced
company, the Crusaders made their way to the Labrea system.

Upon reaching Miranda in the Labrea system, the mercenary unit found immediate work in
protecting the overrun base of the Strider's Strikers mercenary unit. Under this contract, Sir Alec
and his team found various opportunities to both exploit and take vengeance on the Blakist sect
known as the Denouncement, a subdivision within the radical Toyama faction. Though they were
wildly successful in their first strikes against the group, they did lose Mechwarrior Joseph Newton
while evacuating from the Strider's Strikers Headquarters as it was overrun by the Blakists in
their primary grab for power.

After working to turn the tide and saving their new allies, the Crusaders accepted a
subcontracting deal with the Strikers unit. They agreed to help combat the Blakist groups on
Miranda. Their contacts within the Strikers proved fruitful, securing future options as they
developed a closer relationship within the team with several of its key members.
For the following year, the Crusaders participated in military exercises with the Acer's Hueys
mercenary unit. They worked with both the Strikers and Hueys mercenary groups until the
planet was freed from Blakist control.

Taking their leave with the completion of the Strider's Strikers contract, the Crusaders made
their way to the Irece Prefecture's border worlds. There they took contracts with House Kurita
itself and frequently battled Ghost Bear raiders while protecting supply lines and raiding enemy
supply depots.